Plastic crate



n 1967 F. J. M. M. SCHIPHORST 3,325,039

PLAS'II C CRATE Filed Jan. 11, 1965 United States Patent 3,325,039 PLASTIC CRATE Frans J. M. M. Schiphorst, Bunnik, Netherlands, assignor to Stamicarbon N.V., Heerlen, Netherlands Filed Jan. 11, 1965, Ser. No. 424,515 Claims priority, applicationNetherlands, Jan. 11, 1964, 6,400,159 6 Claims. (Cl. 220-21) This invention relates to a crate for carrying cylindrical containers, and particularly to a plastic crate for storing and transporting cylindrical containers, the crate having a wall structure comprising a first pair of opposed side walls and a second pair of opposed side walls and a bottom, the surfaces of at least one of said pairs of opposed side walls being shaped to removably receive hexagonally a plurality of contiguous cylinders.

Heretofore crates employed to transport or store cylindrical containers, such as those made from glass or tin, were made of wood or metal. Such crates were disadvantageous in that excessive breakage or damage of the cylindrical containers was experienced. Further, such crates were noisy in use, had a short service life, required extensive maintenance and because of their weight added considerably to the storage and transportation costs of the cylindrical containers.

It is therefore an object of the instant invention to provide a novel crate which overcomes the disadvantages associated with prior art crates.

Another object of the instant invention is to provide a novel crate which reduces significantly breakage or damage of cylindrical containers enclosed therein.

Yet another object of the instant invention is to provide a novel crate which creates less noise in use, has a long service life and requires substantially no maintenance.

A further object of the instant invention is to provide a novel crate which because of the material from which it is fabricated significantly reduces the cost of storage and transportation of the cylindrical containers enclosed therein.

Still a further object of the instant invention is to provide a novel container which because of its construction perm-its both vertical and horizontal nesting.

With these and other objects in view, this invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a crate according to the instant invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the crate shown in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

One of the considerations taken into account in connection with crates for cylindrical containers has to do with the cost, weight and shape of the crate: These factors influence considerably the commercial acceptance of the crate, since these factors determine, to a great extent, the overall costs for storage and transportation of the cylindrical containers. Thus, advantageously, a commercially attractive crate is one which can be stored easily, without tipping over or shifting, as well as one which will occupy a small area. Along this line, it is especially advantageous to be able to store a number of filled or unfilled crates in the smallest possible volume and this can be achieved by vertically and horizontally nesting the crates. Horizontal nesting insures against shifting of the crates and ultimately decreases the tendency of vertically nested crates to tip over. Yet another consideration is the amount of plastic material required to produce a given crate having maximum strength for minimum material utilized, yet exhibiting a strength which is effective as Well as comparable to known crates, plastic or otherwise. As will be recognized the amount of fabricating material employed will determine to a significant extent the ultimate cost of a crate.

The instant invention provides a novel crate which exhibits certain advantages over wooden or metal crates as hereinbefore set forth. The plastic crates of the instant invention, additionally possess desirable features over known plastic crates. Thus, it surprisingly has been found that the crates of the instant invention, because of their novel construction and arrangement and combination of parts, while exhibiting strength and storing characteristics comparable to known plastic crates, require less plastic material in their fabrication. This desirable feature is achieved, when in accordance with the instant invention, at least one pair of two opposed side walls have a similar profile in the transverse direction, the profile imparted being such that the resulting crate will just enclose hexagonally a plurality of contiguous cylinders, each having preferably an equal diameter. Also, surprising is the fact that, while the surface area of the opposed side walls is greater than that of flat walls of known crates, due to the higher resistance to bending or buckling of such walls when a number of filled crates are stacked, comparable strength characteristics are achieved with a wall having substantially less thickness. Further, since the bottom of the crate has a smaller surface area than that of a conventional crate with equal storing capacity, the total amount of plastic needed for manufacturing the crate according to the instant invention is significantly reduced.

Further, the crates of the instant invention are more compactly stored or transported because of their interlocking feature. Thus, the instant crates are desirably nested horizontally, as well as vertically, this horizontal nesting serving a two-fold purpose, i.e., 1) preventing undue shifting of the crates and (2) preventing tipping over vertically nested crates, often attributable to the shifting or horizontal displacement of the vertically nested crates.

Moreover, the instant invention provides as another embodiment thereof a crate which, if only partly filled with cylindrical containers, provides a carrier therefor in which the cylindrical containers are effectively restrained from displacement therein. This advantageous feature permits storage, and especially transportation of only partly filled crates without significant losses due to breakage or damage of the cylindrical containers enclosed therein.

This advantage is achieved by providing hexagonally arranged recesses and/ or preferably projections to the cylinder-engaging surface of the bottom of the crate. When projections are employed, they can conveniently be connected with transversely disposed webs, the projections and webs thus serving to engage the bottom peripheral surface of the cylindrical containers whereby their lateral displacement is substantially minimized.

Also, preferably the bottom of the crate is provided with a plurality of apertures to facilitate cleaning thereof. Generally, the apertures will be provided at a point therein immediately subjacent the bottom surface of a cylindrical container enclosed therein, thus providing a crate fulfilling sanitary requirements.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the crate is shown as a whole at 1 and includes a bottom 2, one pair of opposed side walls 3 and another pair of opposed side walls 4. At least one pair of the opposed side walls and preferably both pairs thereof are so shaped to removably receive hexagonally a plurality of contiguous cylinders 5, each being preferably of equal diameter.

Preferably, the side walls comprise a plurality of convolutions 6 and involutions 7 in series, the convolutions and involutions of one opposed side wall being transverse in staggered relation to the convolutions and involutions of the other opposed side wall. Thus, the convolutions 6 are inwardly convex and the involutions 7 are inwardly concave portions of the side walls.

The bottom 2 is provided with a plurality of apertures 8, the apertures generally being positioned subjacent the bottom wall of cylindrical containers enclosed in the crate 1. The cylinder-engaging surface 9 of the bottom 2 is also preferably provided with a plurality of vertically disposed projections 10 which serve to engage the lower peripheral surface of the cylindrical containers enclosed in the crate. These projections prevent substantially lateral displacement of the containers in the crate and are particularly advantageous when the crate contains less than the total number of containers for which it is designed. Thus, a partly filled crate can conveniently be transported or stored without any significant damage to the containers due to lateral displacement therein with consequent breakage or damage, especially when the cylindrical containers are made of glass.

Alternatively, the containenengaging surface 9 of the bottom 8 can be provided with depressions (not shown) to accomplish the same purpose. When, however, projections 10 are employed, it is also preferable to connect the projections with horizontal transverse webs 11. The projections and associated webs, or in the alternative, the depressions are arranged in combination with the shape of the side walls to provide a crate which removably receives hexagonally a plurality of cylinders 5 and prevents the cylindrical containers from rattling during transportation.

The lower surface 12 of the bottom 2 is provided with a rim or nesting flange 13, depending therefrom. The nesting flange 13 preferably has transverse dimensions smaller than the respective dimensions of the bottom 2, thus enabling the flange to be inserted into the open top of a similar crate to provide the crate in a stacked relationship. When so stacked, the pairs of opposed side walls of the upper crate are in vertical registry with the pairs of opposed side walls of the lower crate.

As an added advantage, the crates of the instant invention can be horizontally nested, i.e., interlocked, by bringing into abutting relationship the convolutions 6 and involutions 7 of a given side wall of one crate with, respectively, the involutions 7 and convolutions 6 of a side wall of a similar crate. This feature of the instant invention substantially eliminates lateral displacement of the crates which is particularly advantageous when, for instance, the crates are vertically nested, thus preventing tipping over of the stacked crates.

A pair of opposed side Walls can also be provided with vertically disposed stiffeners or ribs 14, as well as handle means 15 which, for instance, can be an aperture 16. The crates, according to the instant invention, can be made of polyethylene or any other suitable plastic material and can be manufactured by conventional injection molding techniques.

A polyethylene crate, made according to the instant invention and having outer dimensions of 310 and 367 mm. and a height of 240 mm, weighs 1.2 kg. The side walls of this crate could withstand a load of 700 kg. without any appreciable deformation. The weight of a known crate of equal storing and strength capacity, not made according to the instant invention, weighed 1.7 kg.

While there has been thus shown and described certain preferred forms of the instant invention, manifestly they are susceptible of modification and rearrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the precise details set forth and it is intended that the invention embodies all such features and modifications as are within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A crate having a wall structure comprising a first pair of opposed side walls and a second pair of opposed side walls and a bottom, the surfaces of at least one of said pairs of opposed side walls comprising transversely staggered convolutions and involutions whereby said crate is adaptable to removably receive an even number of parallel rows of contiguous cylinders, each of said rows having an equal number of cylinders therein, the shape of each of said involutions being substantially identical with the shape of each of said convolutions with the radius subtended by each convolution being substantially equal to the radius of the cylinder adapted to be in abutting relationship therewith and wherein said pair of opposed side walls of said crate is adapted to be interlocked with at least one similar crate whereby the convolutions and involutions of at least one side wall of said pair of opposed side walls are in abutting relationship with the involutions and convolutions, respectively, of at least one side wall of said similar crate.

2. The crate of claim 1 wherein said bottom has a cylinder engaging surface and a lower surface and wherein said bottom is provided with a plurality of apertures and said lower surface is provided with nesting means.

3. The crate of claim 2 wherein the cylinder engaging surface of said bottom is provided with a plurality of vertically disposed members engageable with the walls of said cylinders and wherein said apertures are subjacent the bottoms of said cylinders.

4. The crate of claim 3 wherein said vertically disposed members are connected by horizontally disposed webs.

5. The crate of claim 2 wherein said nesting means comprises a nesting flange extending below said lower surface and being of lesser transverse dimensions than the respective dimensions of said bottom so that said crate is adapted to be stacked on a similar crate whereby the first and second pairs of opposed side walls of the upper crate are in vertical registry with the first and second pairs of op posed side walls of a lower crate with the nesting flange of the upper crate being disposed within the open top of said lower crate.

6. The crate of claim 1 wherein said pair of opposed side walls provided with transversely staggered convolutions and involutions is perpendicular to the parallel rows of contiguous cylinders.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,120,322 2/1964 Henninger 220-97 FOREIGN PATENTS 874,803 8/ 1961 Great Britain. 952,797 11/ 1962 Great Britain. 102,646 9/ 1961 Norway.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

G. T. HALL, Assistant Examiner, 

1. A CRATE HAVING A WALL STRUCTURE COMPRISING A FIRST PAIR OF OPPOSED SIDE WALLS AND A SECOND PAIR OF OPPOSED SIDE WALLS AND A BOTTOM, THE SURFACE OF AT LEAST ONE OF SAID PAIRS OF OPPOSED SIDE WALLS COMPRISING TRANSVERSELY STAGGERED CONVOLUTIONS AND INVOLUTIONS WHEREBY SAID CRATE IS ADAPTABLE TO REMOVABLY RECEIVE AN EVEN NUMBER OF PARALLEL ROWS OF CONTIGUOUS CYLINDERS, EACH OF SAID ROWS HAVING AN EQUAL NUMBER OF CYLINDERS THEREIN, THE SHAPE OF EACH OF SAID INVOLUTIONS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL WITH THE SHAPE OF EACH OF SAID CONVOLUTIONS WITH TH RADIUS SUBTENDED BY EACH CONVOLUTION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL 